One might say that Swedish-speaking Finland native Tove Jansson (1914-2001) was born to be an artist, with her family consisting of a graphic designer mother, sculptor father, and photographer and cartoonist brothers. Tove herself would take on the labels of author, novelist, painter, illustrator, and comic-strip artist. The impassioned bohemian atmosphere of her home would fuel Jansson’s creative expression as the years went on. Before reaching ten years old, she would already be selling multiple illustrations to magazines to be published. Tove’s paintings fall under the Impressionism movement for featuring visible brushstrokes, a depiction of shifting light and movement, and ordinary subject matter. Her honest and frequent self-portraits and still lifes used the same techniques as great Impressionists like Van Gogh and Monet. Public murals, often done as frescos, were also important marks of her painting career.
Tove Jansson had guts. She wasn’t afraid to sign her name on her work as a young queer woman ridiculing Hitler and Stalin in political cartoons for Finnish satire magazine Garm. Controversial matters were of no concern. She was belittled by male painting teachers, dared to openly love women in a greatly homophobic era and lived through the horrors of second world war; all of these events, as well as many more, impacted how Jansson thought and created throughout her adult years.
She would publish her first Moomin book titled The Moomins and the Great Flood in 1945. Tove never claimed that Moomin’s were solely for children, and the subjects of natural disaster, displacement, and death came up a few times, yet always in a charming, easy to process way. Society fell in love with Moominvalley and its inhabitants quickly. As expressed in her short story “The Cartoonist”, Tove grew to be terrified that she was “…one of those people who are prevented from doing Great Art because they draw comic strips”. She found great success and happiness in her time of developing the world of Moomins but turned all creative direction to her brother Lars Jansson in 1970. Although best known for creating Moomins, Tove Jansson’s oil paintings and novels have come into popularity recently with exhibitions taking attendees through all eighty-six of her wonderful years as a creator. She spent the majority of her life with her partner Tuulikki Pietilä, a prominent Finnish graphic artist and professor, often creating art in their summer cabin on the remote island of Klovharun, Finland.
Tove Jansson’s Moomin’s had been depicted twice in animation before, but this was the first time she felt her characters were really brought to life!
Information Citations:
https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/11/14/tove-jansson-beyond-the-moomins/
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/finnish-artist-tove-jansson-was-more-than-just-the-creator-of-the-moomins/
https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/2017/october/tove-jansson/
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c6/Tove_Jansson_cover_of_Garm_magazine_October_1944.jpg
https://d2mpxrrcad19ou.cloudfront.net/item_images/512655/9027957_bukobject.jpg
https://i1.wp.com/www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/moomindeluxe258.jpg?w=680&ssl=1
https://helsinkiheroes.com/tove-jansson-at-ateneum/
Media Citations:
https://dam-13749.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Tove-Jansson_Ennen-naamiaisia_1943_pieni.jpg
https://cdn.nybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/jansson-smoking-girl.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za5qalOgt00&feature=emb_rel_pause
Tobin,
I’m getting in touch with everyone today to give them their real marks for the mid term quiz. You scored a 43/50 which translates to an A. Super Congrats.
Jeff
Tobin,
While Jansson is place outside of the era designate for blog post #3 I get your justification for describing her as an Impressionist painter so okay on that front. Anyhow I really like it when students dig deeper and outside the most well known in art history and unearth gems as in this case. I had not heard of this artist perviously so thanks for the introduction. Your research is solid, the writing very pleasing to read, and your personal thoughts and feelings about the work shines through.
Jeff